Gunsmithing schools???

Slowbalt

Slowbalt

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Hey all,
Just found out that we had a gunsmithing school in Qc. Wondering if similar schools exist in Canada. If so what do they offer? And now, the most important question : Do you HONESTLY think there are good job possibilities in this field? We all like guns here, but I want objective oppinions.
 
Ive looked around for one but all I could find was schools in the states.


I know the CF has a school/jobs for people who are intersted (weapons tech).
 
Do you HONESTLY think there are good job possibilities in this field?...

Out of all the fields of employment today - gunsmithing isn't at the top of the field. I believe it would be very hard to simply become a gunsmith and establish a business and pay the bills without having another job.
 
The flip side of the coin is that the backlog for many gunsmiths in Canada seems to be pretty long, and none of these guys is getting any younger. One has to wonder if there isn't a need for more smiths in Canada.
 
Hi

I have known a couple of gunsmiths pretty well. None of them did very well financially. The comment "this is even worse than farming" comes to mind.

There are a number of "name" outfits in the business that do very well. They are way more than simple gunsmiths. Generally they have a dozen or more guys all working under the banner of the head guy. The head guy does fine that way ....

Bob
 
KodiakII said:
Jobs for a smitty do come up once in the while with the military (saw one for an armourer in Petawawa) and the RCMP were looking for one just a little while ago.
Click to expand...

Those are two specialty jobs that really have little to do with out in the real world "gunsmithing".
 
I would guess that real-world gunsmithing consists of a lot of:

15% - It just stopped working. How much will it cost to fix it?
20% - Can you add rings and mounts to this 1936 byf Mauser?
15% - Can you install chokes in this shotgun?
14% - Is this thing safe to shoot?
10% - I want this 30-06 rechambered in .308
10% - Can you tune this rifle/pistol to be a tack-driver?
10% - I got some tools at home, can you tell me how to shorten and recrown my rifle at home using a hacksaw and sandpaper?
5% - I want you to adjust my rem 710 deer gun to have a 6oz trigger for my hunting trip up north this weekend.
1% - Build me a race gun/br rifle - money is no object!
 
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Hi

You left out the other two salient details:

"I only have $5 with me ..."

"I can wait while you do the work ...."

Not much glory in any of that.

To make any money at all:

Get *good* at one thing. Make a name for yourself. Count on that taking years to do. Promote yourself every way you possibly can. Operate nationally. Only do what you are good at.

Do all that and you will be doing almost as well as the plumber down the block ...

Bob
 
agit-prop said:
The flip side of the coin is that the backlog for many gunsmiths in Canada seems to be pretty long, and none of these guys is getting any younger. One has to wonder if there isn't a need for more smiths in Canada.
Click to expand...


Except for personal sales I am not available
House reno's and holidays,
and I'm gettin' old...
​
 
I asked my gunsmith about what one would need to do to get into gunsmithing.He told me that the rules make it extremely difficult to start up these days.It is set up so that eventually, the knowledge will fade away, so that when guns are banned, no-one will have the knowledge anymore!!
 
Hi

The government regulations on any kind of firearms related business just keep getting more difficult. That said, there must be a way to navigate them. If nothing else the LEO's will always need work done.

Down here there are a lot of programs turning out gunsmiths at the entry level. I don't know of any that really give you more than the basics. The assumption seems to be that you will go out in the world and sharpen up by working.

My guess is that between the various programs and ex-military types there will always be a bit of an oversupply of people ready to enter the profession.

Bob
 
Tnx guys, you confirmed my impression about individual gunsmithing, but what about working for a compagny? No, lebaron at 8.50/hour is not considered;)
 
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